1032
Rolex
Ref. 18239, inside caseback stamped 18200
Day-Date
An attractive and rare white gold wristwatch with day, date, center seconds, “wood” dial and bracelet
Full-Cataloguing
The present example encased in white gold and fitted with a “wood” dial is a rare variant and a specimen of the fathomed artistry of Rolex’s dial creations. Often seen in yellow gold cases, the white gold variant is believed to have produced in much less quantities. Wood dials are extremely hard to work with as they are brittle and for dial makers to cut out apertures or the day and date without fracturing the material requires supreme artisanal craftsmanship to execute.
The present example is presented in attractive condition with a nice case, an excellent dial and is accompanied by a Rolex Japan International Service Guarantee.
Rolex
Swiss | 1905Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.
One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.